Geza Ulole
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 31, 2009
- 65,136
- 91,917
Why should Sylvia Mulinge be rejected as Vodacom's Managing Director
Towards our agenda 2025, interests for Tanzania should come ahead of anything as far as regional strategic decisions are concerned. Unfortunately, the British owned companies don't see how their careless moves can put our national interests at a disadvantage. This is out of a reality that their skewed mentality has repetitively given leverage to Kenyan nationals at the expense of Tanzania's regional prospects with detrimental effects on our economic welfare as a result.
As an alert, Kenyans as people are to us our natural rivals aside being corrupt and money laundering machines just like Bashir Awale a former managing Director at Standard Bank (with a $6 mln bounty on his head). While protectionists at home; on given a task, they lack comittment, competence and expertise to perform at diligence. Appointing any of them to lead a big company like Vodacom poses serious risks to its prospects.
Just like Precisionair under Kioko, a sole electrical transformers plant in the region Tanelec was put under management of Kenyan nationals at its prime, before ended up minting loses. One should not forget how Kibo Breweries met impenitent greedy and protectionist takeover by East African Breweries under its CEO Gerald Mahinda at time.
As not only a bargaining token but a trump card that subsequently ensured an immediate closure agreement with Sabmiller for any potential threat in their perceived home market after ownership exchange of Brewery plants in Moshi and Thika in what was at the time Kenyans' a bragging right in what was infamously baptized a regional "Beer war", rendered Moshi town and her peripherial residence jobless with the disappearance of most catchy beer brand "Kibo gold" from the market.
The same is a repetitive sad story about the second take over of Serengeti Breweries unfortunately, by the same East African Breweries. As a testimony, just recently the East African Breweries was put under scrutiny of Fair Competition Commission after the terms of take over were violated. Again, as a result of poor decisions taken in Nairobi that deliberately ignored conditions and agreements put forward by Fair Tanzania's Competition Commission.
After a takeover, the behind the scene ill motives were pioneered that resulted into all efforts being channelled towards improving the image Tusker brand within the Tanzanian market at the expense of a loss of market share of a more prominent Serengeti beer. Serengeti beer was intentionally rejected the same treatment within Kenya as the takeover agreement requested aside a termination of several local sports sponsorships that led to her market share plunge at home.
Prior that, it has to be remembered via relentless promotions Serengeti beer had managed to carve a niche of its own in the beer market and commanded a respect and an outmatched vibrant receptiveness to beer consumers. Even under fierce competition from Sabmiller it's market share had fairly risen and by the time of a takeover, Serengeti Breweries had already established an overall market share of 15% within Tanzania.
Unfortunately under the prohibitive control and poor management of the East African Breweries in Nairobi that market share shrank to less than 7% at the moment. To me that did not happen as a coincidence, considering the fact the poor performance was for the second time and especially after seeing the same East African Breweries is investing a $150 mln plant in Kisumu a nose and mouth from Mwanza where Serengeti Breweries is having another plant.
To me, a demise of Serengeti Breweries was meant to give an excuse for a new plant in Kisumu and trying to use instigated poor performance to shut down a plant in Mwanza, a misallocation of resources.
As never ending recurrence of similar sabotageous coincidences, the same story can be explained of Tanelec acquisition by Transcentury under CEO Kiuna Gachao. Again, a Kenyan company, Transcentury led to Tanelec's underperformance as a result of a brand new subsidiary being opened in Kenya rendering its market share being constricted and hence redundance at home while job creation in Nairobi.
The same was the unfair tactics for the most talked about Arusha dairy acquisition by Brookside that left bitter taste among diplomatic circles in the region as Uhuru happened to be that ultimate torch bearer for this company.
I have a strong feeling madam Mulinge is sent on a mission and suspiciously, is being assigned to oversee a takeover of Vodacom by Safaricom, a move that will be executed via managerial limitations towards overall company's performance that in the end will erase its competitiveness in the Tanzanian market. With a board stage-managed from Nairobi to play a second fiddle in making approvals and decisions on their favor, unhealthy managerial tactics will be instigated to discourage the much needed innovation for a company to stay relevant in the market and hence growth derailment while posing Vodacom for a smooth take over at a throw away price.
Your Excellency President JPM, with my esteem humble advice i ask your office to reject this appointment. I also beg your office to stop letting Tanzanian companies being put under any sort of influence or control by Kenyans. Kenyans as people lack merit are incompetent while corrupt and have proven failure even on the running of their own companies at home.
Think of loss making KQ under Naikuni and Nguze, Uchumi under Kipng'etich and Nakumatt under Shah e.t.c. the list of their cultural proof of embezzlement, fraud and mismanagement when given a control of any good company is undebatable and can go on and on.
It's high time to do away with giving them a chance to ruin good gains by our companies especially those public owned as their failure will be disastrous to our economy. Just like the way a renowned Tanzanian political satirist James Gado was unceremoniously shown an exit door through a political influence though he working in a public company NMG, a similar fashion treatment can save Vodacom. Enough with their shenanigans , let us put a stop to being made their experimental Guinea pigs on their project "rundown to takeover". We should always stay vigilant and remind ourselves it's purely an attempt to economical dominance at play.
Afterall this is what Matiangi doing
